LA LIGA PREVIEW: The Ultra previews two La Liga games on Friday as the season returns: ALMERIA v RAYO VALLECANO and SEVILLA v VALENCIA both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
ALMERIA V RAYO VALLECANO
6.30pm Football in Europe returns with Friday night football on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE! Usually we have one game from La Liga and one game from the Bundesliga on a Friday night, but it’s a German Cup weekend so we can focus on the two La Liga games. We kick off the new season with Almeria hosting Rayo Vallecano – it might not be the most glamorous fixture to start La Liga but it’s an interesting betting heat nonetheless. Almeria come into the game as favourites – it was almost like there was two Almeria sides last season, the one who played very well at home and the one that were woeful away from home. They were in the relegation battle all the way to the final day last season because they only managed eight points away from home last season – that was the worst return away from home in La Liga. At home however, Almeria were rock solid – they actually finished in the top half of the table on home form! Rayo Vallecano were consistent across their home and away form – they actually finished 11th overall, 11th at home and 11th away from home! You can’t argue with that consistency!
Almeria had some huge issues at the back, and their main aims this season will be to improve their away form, and try to improve at the back too. It will be interesting to see how Rayo Vallecano start their season – I would suggest they were one of the sides who were “on the beach” early as they say last season when it looked like they were safe or couldn’t do better than mid-table. They lost four of their last five La Liga games. I feel we’ll get a quality game here, and although Almeria feel a little short at around 2.44 you have to respect their home record last season. I can see a very close game here though, and the draw at 3.4 looks a nice value bet to start the season. I couldn’t put anyone off a small bet at 0-0 in the Correct Score market closer to kick off either.
The Ultra Says:
One point win Draw at 3.4 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/AlmRay
SEVILLA V VALENCIA
8.30pm We finish the opening night of La Liga action with Sevilla hosting Valencia. Sevilla fans had a rollercoaster season as they sat in the relegation zone for most of the La Liga season before finally finishing the season strongly and then winning the Europa League! I always thought the top four in La Liga was “on lock” as they say, but Sevilla broke that, however they still end up in the Champions League through winning the Europa League. Their aim this season will be to get back into the top four, but they must improve on last season. They conceded more chances than they created last season, and at times they were woeful at the back. The most basic plan is for them to start the season better than last year! I think they sat in the relegation zone until 2023 – they only managed one win from their opening eight games, and they had to sit in the relegation zone during the winter World Cup too. It will be interesting to see can they break back into the top four, especially now the other sides have a little bit more money to spend too. Perhaps Real Sociedad can hang onto fourth because they have improved a lot over the last few years.
Valencia are another side going through a big change. From winning the Copa del Rey and fighting for European spots, they were involved in the relegation battle right up until the final day last season. They have gone through a lot of changes recently, but they seem to be heading in the wrong direction. They were poor away from home last season too – they only managed 13 points away from home which put them just outside the relegation zone on the away form table. Before you think this is a straightforward win for Sevilla, it’s really worth noting how poor Sevilla were at home last season. They only managed 26 points at home which put them in the bottom three on home form. From that point of view, the 2.06 looks a little short on Sevilla but considering it’s the opening weekend this is definitely a game for small stakes. I’m happy to have a small bet on the draw at 3.35 as I feel both sides will cancel each other out.
The Ultra Says:
One point win Draw at 3.35 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/SevVal
